Monthly Newsletters
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Current Newsletter
Updates from November 2025
Hello Friends, All eyes and ears were on Tanzania as we got into November, following the general elections and the troubling reports of post-election violence. What should have been a moment of democratic expression quickly descended into unrest, with clashes reported in several regions and allegations of excessive force by security agencies.
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Updates from October 2025
Hello Friends, September was a busy month for us, from advocacy to capacity building. At the start of the month, AfricanDefenders hosted its annual Ubuntu Hub Cities Coordinators Workshop in Durban, South Africa, while there, I found myself revisiting a question: Why must African human rights defenders seek safety outside the continent?
Updates from September 2025
Hello Friends, September was a busy month for us, from advocacy to capacity building. At the start of the month, AfricanDefenders hosted its annual Ubuntu Hub Cities Coordinators Workshop in Durban, South Africa, while there, I found myself revisiting a question: Why must African human rights defenders seek safety outside the continent?
Updates from August 2025
The 60th UN Human Rights Council (HRC) session will convene from 8 September to 8 October 2025 to deliberate on the global human rights context. Among the situations under consideration is the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Now in its third year, the conflict is one of the most devastating on the continent, resulting in the displacement of over 13 million people and more than 150,000 civilian deaths.
Updates from July 2025
Hello Friends, The 59th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC59)), held from 16 June to 8 July 2025, was shortened due to the UN’s liquidity crisis, resulting in cancelled debates and undelivered OHCHR reports. Despite these challenges, the session stood out for its focus on Eritrea.
Updates from June 2025
Hello Friends, In June, the African continent saw a surge in human rights violations, highlighting the growing risks faced by those speaking truth to power. In Kenya, peaceful protests were met with deadly force, mass arrests, and media blackouts. In Ethiopia, journalist Tesfalem Waldyes remained in detention despite a court order for his release, amid official attacks on media independence.
Updates from May 2025
Hello Friends, Since August 2024, I’ve had the privilege of participating in two missions to Somalia aimed at assessing the current landscape for human rights defenders (HRDs). The primary objective of these missions was to revitalise the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Somalia by supporting the establishment of new leadership and an active board capable of addressing the evolving challenges HRDs face in the country.
Updates from April 2025
Hello Friends, In the just concluded 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council Session (HRC58), our advocacy efforts focused on the extension of the mandate of the existing investigative mechanism, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS). During the session,the CHRSS presented its report. On the 2 April, a strong resolution in line with civil society expectations was passed at the initiative of core group (UK, Norway, Albania, Ireland.
Updates from March 2025
Hello Friends, March was a month of engagement and reflection on the urgent needs of human rights defenders (HRDs) across our region. As geopolitical dynamics shift and crises intensify, the threats facing HRDs have grown more complex—demanding coordinated responses and sustained solidarity.
Updates from February 2025
Hello Friends, In February, all eyes were on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as reports of significant turmoil dominated news sites and social media. The capture of Goma by the M23 in January and their subsequent advance south, culminating in the capture of Bukavu on 16 February, exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC. Human rights defenders (HRDs) have not been spared from this violence.
Updates from January 2025
As we step into 2025, this year marks 20 years since DefendDefenders’ was established to protect human rights defenders (HRDs) in Africa. In commemoration of this significant milestone, I am prompted to reflect on the journey since 2005. I think back to the inaugural convening – “Defending the Defenders”: a Human Rights Defenders Conference in Entebbe, Uganda, in 2005, the moment it all crystallised.
Updates from December 2024
Dear Friends, December holds special significance for DefendDefenders as we joined the global community in commemorating International Human Rights Defenders Day and International Human Rights Day (IHRD), observed on 9 and 10 December, respectively. This year, we marked the IHRD day with launching our latest report, Rocky Ground and Shifting Sands, which examines the work […]